Je suis Charlie?

"Choose your allies carefully: it's highly unlikely that you'll ever be held morally, legally, or historically accountable for the actions of your enemies." Some New Tactical Reflections by L. Neil Smith

During an editorial meeting with cartoonists and satirists at the French magazine Charlie Hebdo, two hooded men walked in with automatics and started shooting. The world was shocked and outraged. The aftermath of the attack was five injured and twelve dead, including a police officer, and a maintenance worker at a building two doors down from the intended target. Horrible, unspeakable violence justified, some would argue instigated, by religion.

Our natural reaction to such violence, or tragedies in general, is to rally around the victims and stand shoulder to shoulder with survivors. We create shrines of flowers, and candles, and stuffed animals at the scene of the tragedy. In recent years we've begun identifying with the victims. Live Strong, Chuck Strong, I Will Get Out Of My Car, I Can't Breathe, and now Je Suis Charlie.

"Je suis Charlie" means, I am Charlie. I've seen Christians post "Je suis Charlie". Politicians and Hollywood stars take pride in saying, "Je suis Charlie". Over 40 world leaders from nearly every world power marching in the streets of Paris under the banner, "Je suis Charlie". But is that who we really want to identify with?

Most people who say, "Je suis Charlie" have never read, or even seen Charlie Hebdo. To say that Charlie Hebdo is political satire is the most charitable way to describe the magazine. Charlie Hebdo is irreverent, offensive, divisive, and in many cases, repulsive. I doubt many Christians would proclaim, "Je suis Charlie" if they saw the cartoon depiction of Jesus having sexual relations with God the Father.

The world is not binary. Either on or off. Right or left. It is not always true that, "If you are not for me, then you are against me." What happened to the writers and editors of Charlie Hebdo was despicable and should never have happened. But that doesn't mean that we should identify with Charlie Hebdo. Sometimes the enemy of my enemy is not my friend.

I am not Charlie. I am not Al-Qaeda. But who am I?

Scripture encourages us this way: "Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma." Eph 5:1-2 NASB

Our task is to identify with Christ, to imitate Him as best we can in every situation. But where does that leave Charlie?

If I am not Charlie, if we take the "I" out of "Je suis Charlie", we are left with something intriguing: Je-sus Charlie. Even as we are called to identify with Christ, Jesus has already identified with us, all of us. Even the cartoonists and editors of Charlie Hebdo.

"… Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. 'He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.' When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 'He himself bore our sins' in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; 'by his wounds you have been healed.'" 1 Peter‬ ‭2‬:‭21-24‬ NIV

Every citizen, and especially every Christ follower, has a responsibility to oppose the terrorism prevalent in the world around us. We should roundly condemn violence in the name of God. But our identity is found and bound up in Jesus, our Messiah. Charlie Hebdo already has someone who identified with them - and bore their sins. And that is both the beauty and mystery of God.


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